Welcome CHuck
I've had my Electra just a couple of months or so. It isn't my first bike, but is my first for a few years.
I LOVE it. I think if you're seeing it before you go to sleep (as I was) then an RE has chosen you - I'd say you have no choice, really!
The reason I love it so much, and more each time I ride - it is easy to ride. It sort of wraps around you, and becomes part of you as you ride. You sort of feel joined to it - hard to explain. I didn't feel that way with my Hondas, certainly not with my Ducati, but do remember that feeling with an old Triumph Tiger 90 I had in my early 20s.
I have a 500cc - in New Zealand, you aren't allowed over 250 as a first bike, until you get a full licence. What about where you are?
And as for Al Fresco - well, seems to me there's the only real risk if you mean it will live all the time out in the rain - the chrome is a bit thin, so they start to rust pretty easily. I had mine under a tarp for three weeks. Sidstand showed clear rustspots already. So I built a carport. (I still argue that the bike didn't breach the pre-agreed budget, but I think I'm on thin ice!!!)
I haven't had even a moment of regret or second thoughts...
Biddy